Bucks
Craig Sellers
Dear Friends,
Good morning. “The second half of my life has begun,” Craig Sellers told me last week. The jovial, but serious, handsome Head of the United Friends School in Quakertown was describing the 60-page diary of his six-week trip to Thailand.
Sellers, 45, had won a Fullbright Scholarship, famous for its international exchange programs. Last fall, Chatree Sakunbunma, the headmaster of a Thailand school came to the United Friends School for a six-week stay. I wrote a column about the Sakunbunma family (Dec. 7). Sellers completed his part of the six-week exchange during January and February.
His trip began literally with a bang. On New Year’s Eve, Muslim terrorists set off seven explosions in the center of Bangkok, Thailand’s capital. Two were killed and 12 injured. One of the attacks came near the hotel where Sellers was staying. All New Years’ celebrations were cancelled.
That incident has changed the face and attitude of Thailand and its people forever, Sellers believes. “Thais are known for their happy and peaceful ways,” he began. “They are the world’s celebrators. Taking New Years Eve away from Thailand is like the September 11th tragedy where terrorists took down the World Trade Center, one of America’s greatest metaphors…the financial capital of the world.” What Sellers meant was that September 11th destroyed our national sense of security, just as the New Year’s Eve terrorist attacks affected Thailand’s serenity.
The roots of terror are centered in Thailand’s deep south where the population is 90 percent Muslim, Sellers told me. And it’s recent. The vast majority of Thailand is Buddhist. To destabilize the country, terrorists identify soft targets, like schools and post offices to attack. “Schools are no longer safe,” Sellers continued. “The Thais are discovering their teachers and principals beheaded.
It’s no wonder that Thailand has asked the United Nations Children’s fund to help compose home schooling methods, Sellers’ diary explains. Parents are afraid to send their children to school in the southern part of the nation.
“It’s become Islam versus Buddhism,” Sellers adds.
I wondered whether Sellers would recommend traveling to Thailand. “Yes,” he replied, “Thailand is a beautiful country with friendly people who love America. Thailand is no more dangerous than the rest of the world.”
How did you handle the Thai language, I asked?
“I couldn’t speak the language,” Sellers replied. “But, not being able to converse turned out to be a great benefit. I was able to watch the culture uninhibited by my lack of language. Most of the time, I didn’t even know what I was eating.
“Few Thais travel abroad,” he said. “Thais believe that their world is perfect. Why go anywhere, they ask?” Money may have something to do with it as well. It would take four months of an average Thai’s salary to purchase a round trip to America.
Sellers took more than 6,000 photos. “One thousand are quite good,” he laughed, “And 300 are better than good.”
By the way, he’s willing to give
show and tells to the community. You can reach him at
The UFS board has chosen Nancy Donnelly to succeed him. She’s been a teacher and administrator at UFS since the school’s beginning, 25 years ago. Sellers leaves UFS in very capable hands.
One of the telling parts of the Sellers diary was a conversation with Sakunbunma. The Thai headmaster was impressed by parental involvement at the United Friends School. “Our parents must be more involved,” Sakunbunma told Sellers. “Our school cannot get any better without the parents. If they do not participate more, we are limited. We cannot get better.”
Isn’t that the truth? American schools face the identical dilemma. The problem is how to achieve it?
Sellers summarized his trip as he flew home via China. “It began with random acts of terror from evil hearts…and ended randomly,” he said as he recalled seeing American families flying home with adopted Chinese babies in their arms.
Is Thailand’s paradise disintegrating? It’s clear that Thais have no understanding of violence, Sellers concluded. He recommends visiting Thailand and doing it soon. “Don’t postpone joy,” Sellers advises. “I felt honored and admired everywhere I went. We are not the Great Satan to the Thai people.
“As Thailand goes, so goes the world,” Sellers said. “Shangri-La is dwindling.”
Sincerely,
Charles Meredith